Image: Geelong Art Gallery
Geelong Gallery is marking its 130th anniversary with 'Milestones in Collecting—130th Anniversary Exhibition', a free display that traces the growth of its collection through key acquisitions spanning more than a century. The exhibition runs from 30 May to 25 October 2026 and brings together works that the gallery says define both its holdings and the moments that shaped them.
According to the gallery, the exhibition includes Frederick McCubbin’s 'A bush burial' (1890), acquired in the first year of collecting in 1900, John Brack’s 'The hunt' (1988), purchased in the gallery’s centenary year in 1996, and Emily Kam Kngwarray’s 'Anooralya (or Anwerlarr)—Yam Dreaming', acquired to mark the gallery’s 125th anniversary in 2021. The gallery describes these and other major works as part of its nationally significant collection.
The show appears alongside Geelong Gallery’s broader 130th-year programming, which also includes 'Claude Monet and Australian Impressionism' and the major ticketed exhibition 'Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel, Art Dealer Among the Artists'. The gallery’s website presents 'Milestones in Collecting' as a collection-focused exhibition, distinct from the international Impressionist loan show, but the two are linked in a floortalk scheduled for 19 August 2026.
That floortalk, led by Assistant Director, Curatorial and exhibition curator Lisa Sullivan, will examine 'Milestones in Collecting—130th Anniversary Exhibition' and 'Claude Monet and Australian Impressionism' together. The gallery says the session will explore the stories behind key acquisitions that have shaped the collection, alongside Claude Monet’s 'Haystacks, midday', on loan from the National Gallery of Australia, and how light, place and artistic exchange connect Australian and international Impressionism.
The anniversary exhibition is rooted in the gallery’s own history of collecting. Geelong Gallery’s website notes that 'A bush burial' entered the collection through public subscription in 1900, while 'The hunt' was purchased through public subscription in 1996. The inclusion of Kngwarray’s work extends the timeline into the recent past, showing how the collection has continued to evolve through acquisitions tied to milestone anniversaries.
Geelong Gallery is located at Little Malop Street in Geelong and says it is open daily from 10am to 5pm. 'Milestones in Collecting—130th Anniversary Exhibition' is free entry and continues until 25 October 2026.
